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Gospel Oak railway station

Coordinates: 51°33′19″N 0°09′05″W / 51.5552°N 0.1514°W / 51.5552; -0.1514
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Gospel Oak London Overground
The station entrance in 2016
Gospel Oak is located in Greater London
Gospel Oak
Gospel Oak
Location of Gospel Oak in Greater London
LocationMansfield Road, Gospel Oak
Local authorityLondon Borough of Camden
Managed byLondon Overground
OwnerNetwork Rail
Station code(s)GPO
DfT categoryD
Number of platforms3
AccessibleYes[1]
Fare zone2
National Rail annual entry and exit
2019–20Decrease 2.459 million[2]
– interchange Decrease 1.402 million[2]
2020–21Decrease 1.113 million[2]
– interchange Decrease 0.810 million[2]
2021–22Increase 2.006 million[2]
– interchange Increase 1.354 million[2]
2022–23Increase 2.224 million[2]
– interchange Increase 1.738 million[2]
2023–24Increase 2.564 million[2]
– interchange Increase 1.852 million[2]
Key dates
2 January 1860Opened (NLL)
4 June 1888Opened (GOBLIN)
1926Closed (GOBLIN)
1981Reopened (GOBLIN)
Other information
External links
Coordinates51°33′19″N 0°09′05″W / 51.5552°N 0.1514°W / 51.5552; -0.1514
London transport portal

Gospel Oak railway station is in the London Borough of Camden in north-west London. It is situated on the North London line, served by Mildmay line services between Clapham Junction/Richmond and Stratford, and is also the western passenger terminus of the Gospel Oak to Barking line, served by Suffragette line services to/from Barking Riverside. Passengers using Oyster cards are required to tap on interchange Oyster card readers when changing between the two lines. The station is in Travelcard Zone 2, and is managed by London Overground which runs all passenger trains at the station.

History

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Local railway lines, 1914
Ordnance Survey map, 1920
Gospel Oak station

The station opened in 1860[3][page needed] as Kentish Town on the Hampstead Junction Railway from Camden Road to Old Oak Common Junction south of Willesden Junction. It was renamed Gospel Oak in 1867 when a new station more appropriately named Kentish Town was opened about a mile south on the same line (that station is now Kentish Town West). Due to financial constraints a planned connection from the Tottenham and Hampstead Junction Railway to Gospel Oak station was not added until 4 June 1888, some 20 years after that railway opened, and then without a link to the North London Line due to other companies' opposition.

Preceding station   Disused railways   Following station
Terminus   Tottenham and Hampstead Junction Railway   Highgate Road

The station was rebuilt by the London Midland Region of British Railways in 1954.[4]

From 1926 to 1981, the station was not a passenger interchange: passenger trains left the Barking line at Tufnell Park and descended the gradient to Kentish Town station. In 1981 that passenger service from Barking was diverted from Kentish Town to Gospel Oak with the terminal platform rebuilt on the north side of the existing station.[5]

The North London Line through Gospel Oak was electrified on the fourth-rail 660 volt DC system in 1916 by the LNWR: in the 1970s that was changed to 750 volt DC third rail. In 1996, the line from Willesden through Gospel Oak to Camden was closed during conversion to 25 kv AC overhead.

To allow four-car trains to run on the London Overground network, the North London Line between this station and Stratford closed from February 2010 to 1 June 2010, for installing a new signalling system and for extending 30 platforms. Until May 2011, there was a reduced service with no services on Sundays while the upgrade work continued.[6]

Design

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The platforms are high above street level with stairs and two lifts, one serving westbound trains, and one serving eastbound trains and the Barking line.[7] The North London Line has two platforms and the Barking line has a short terminal platform north of which are two separate through freight tracks which join the NLL just west of the station. Oyster ticket barriers are in operation.

Services

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London Overground Turbostar unit 172005 departs from Gospel Oak with a service to Barking. Until 2018, the line was not fully electrified requiring diesel train operation.

All services at Gospel Oak are operated by London Overground using Class 378 and 710 EMUs.

The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is:[8][9][10]

During the late evenings, the services to and from Clapham Junction do not operate and the services to and from Barking Riverside are reduced to 3 tph.

Preceding station London Overground Following station
Hampstead Heath
towards Richmond
 Mildmay line
North London line 		Kentish Town West
towards Stratford
Terminus Suffragette line
Gospel Oak to Barking line 		Upper Holloway
towards Barking Riverside

Connections

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London Buses route C11 serves the station.

In arts and music

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The two brick skew arch bridges by which the trains cross Gordon House Road are shown in the cover photograph of the 1997 Gospel Oak EP by Irish singer Sinéad O'Connor.

Notes

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References

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  1. ^ "Step free Tube Guide" (PDF). Transport for London. April 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 May 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Estimates of station usage". Rail statistics. Office of Rail Regulation. Please note: Some methodology may vary year on year.
  3. ^ Brown, Joe (2006). London Railway Atlas. Ian Allan Publishing.
  4. ^ "Mansfield Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Strategy". Camden London Borough Council. 4 December 2008. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
  5. ^ Bosher, Dave. "Journey Along the North London Line, Part 2". Inter City Railway Society. Archived from the original on 18 March 2013.
  6. ^ "London Overground to close from Gospel Oak to Stratford as part of £326m upgrade to deliver longer, more frequent trains". TfL. 15 February 2010. Retrieved 29 May 2011.
  7. ^ "Mayor hails successful bid to make more London Overground stations step free". TfL. 8 December 2011. Retrieved 3 April 2012.
  8. ^ Table 59, 62 National Rail timetable, December 2023
  9. ^ "London Overground Timetable: Richmond and Clapham Junction to Stratford" (PDF). Transport for London. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
  10. ^ "London Overground Timetable: Gospel Oak to Barking" (PDF). Transport for London. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
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